The students in Smiley's kindergarten class took turns bringing home a stuffed animal dog named Louie for two days. A journal came home with Louie. One goal of the "assignment" is for the students to be more mindful of the things they do at home. The student can talk with a parent about what they did with Louie. The parent either writes a summary of their time together, or the student dictates for the parent to write.
Louie also cames with a bag to carry him in, his toothbrush and a little blanket, and the paperback book Puppy to Dog.
We brought Louie home on a Thurday before a record snowfall, and ended up having him an entire week before the next day of school. I decided to add some first-person humor to Louie's journal.
I have (as usual) changed my children's names to Smiley and Gallant for this online copy of our portion of Louie's journal. I have added links for where Smiley mentioned our online recipes or aspects of our home I have blogged about.
Dec. 4th Louie came home from school. He got out of hs bag and took a nap in Smiley's bed. Smiley introduced him to Peter Rabbit. [Peter Rabbit is the stuffed animal that Smiley sleeps with.]
He met Gallant and Mommy. He saw Chanukah candles. He saw us eat. Smiley took Louie downstairs to watch Sneaky Thief videos. Louie watched Smiley brush his teeth. Louie used his toothbrush. Smiley went to bed with Louie.
It is 1am when this family's mom sneaks into Smiley's room. I am awake instantly. My years of black ops training leave some habits that remain no matter how many kindergarteners hug me. She is very quiet. I sniff. "Ninjas," I say. She nods and tosses me her spare tactical flashlight. As she loads her shotgun I notice the little boy, still asleep, in the ergo on her back. So this is the safe room. No need to ask where the dad is. Foolish to wait for ninjas. I wish I were out there with him.
Dec. 5th Smiley and Louie woke up. Louie watched Smiley eat breakfast. Smiley is excited about school.
Not much time for Smiley to dictate in the morning. Busy place. But now all the family is gone. I get the car today. Heh What happens in Portland stays in Portland.
Back. Woof woof. When asked, "Did you miss me?" the right answer is "It's complicated."
Louie watched Gallant take a nap. Louie waited while Daddy and Gallant walked to school to get Smiley.
We ate cuties [clementine tangerines]. Louie was introduced to Uncle Nathan. Louie stayed home. We drove Nathan to Nathan's house and got Mommy from work.
Louie watched Mommy make pizza. I ate my toppings first.
Louie and Smiley brushed teeth. Smiley went to bed with Louie.
Dec. 6th Snow. Reminds me of the time I owed a friend a favor and had to rescue his family from a greedy ice dragon. So pretty on the trees, so cold on the paws.
I hope Ms. Christy and the others get to their meetings safely. If this family doesn't have the sense to bake cookies today I'll have to humble myself and do Big Puppy Dog Eyes until they cave.
I could use an Orange Pisco Hot Chocolate, but no chance in his house.
Smiley had breakfast. Smiley and Gallant watched Word World. And helped make cookies. And played in the snow. Daddy made a snowman. Smiley used buckets. Gallant used a wagon. Snow is fun and cold.
Louie watched Smiley eat lunch. Smiley slid down our hill on a blue disc. Smiley was cold and had a bath.
Smiley ate egg baby and noodles and spinach for dinner. Five dessert choices because I ate all my dinner. And greens. Biscotti is one. Toblerone is two. Peppermint bark is two.
Louie and Smiley brushed teeth. Smiley went to bed with Louie.
Six inches of snow? Eight? Looked that way. I was forgotten in the boy's bed until lunch. Got the low-down on this place from Peter Rabbit. Outside is colder than Jadis's thighs. Glad I wasn't taken out to be part of the snowman photo op. Would not have minded some sledding on the disc, though. Ate my body weight in double chocolate biscotti. Most was set aside as gifts for folk. Plenty for here too. Recipe online.
At 3am woke to noises. Jack Frost was out back. I chased him away. Meddler was futzing with the garden hoses and tugging on the sheets covering the potted fig tree.
Dec. 7th Smiley and Gallant ate egg baby with pear sauce for breakfast. Mommy started making two kinds of cookies and beans and soup.
Smiley invented the map version of Mystery Land. It is a game where anything can appear and there are mysteries. It uses maps and monsters and Pokèmon. The wood letters we use to mark where the Pokèmon are.
Then we went outside and did more of the sliding. Louie watched out the window. Then Smiley was cold and took a long bath.
Smiley got out more maps. I took the maps in my room.
Smiley played in the back yard. It got dark. Mommy gave me a lantern. I played more. I had dinner late. But that was okay.
Smiley showed Daddy Mystery Land as his bedtime story. David was a strong hero. The bad guy were snakes and robots. That was Mystery Land number one.
Louie and Smiley brushed teeth. Smiley and Louie went to bed. Louie and Peter Rabbit had their own blanket.
By all the trolls under the bridge to Terebithia, don't these people ever stop baking? I rested on a toy box all day—in the sitting room so it commanded a good view, next to a couch like and end table but holding bulk bags of grains and flours and rice and beans. The wooden train track was re-built in a different manner. A big cardboard box was fun for the boys too.
Today's cookies were almond lace cookies and dried fruit balls. Not online yet.
No need for heroics today. I wish someone would scratch my belly. So full of egg nog.
Have fun on your next adventure, Louie, Smiley, and friends.
Comment
In the middle of the week Smiley became less and less interested in dictating for Louie's journal. The story-telling part of his mind was too occupied with a new game he was inventing and using to lead me through adventures. I increasingly used Louie's first-person narration to fill in what we did as a family, which changed his style away from the pithy Film Noir style description I initially created to contrast with Smiley's more juvenile short sentences.
Dec. 8th Well, having no water makes them stop baking. Pipes under the front lawn froze. Fortunately their spa has water to keep toilets working.
Edgewood is beautiful and sunny. Smiley grew brave enough to sled by himself on the blue disc, on the slope above the track. Shame to come back inside.
Safeway has become a dog walker's mecca. Met some friends there while Smiley got his flouride pills refilled. Woof. Wag. No great news. Coldest weeend in forty years and boring as snow, if you're a dog. Bah. Not sure why I am feeling down. Must be missing Ms. Christy.
Lots of books and Smiley's new game. They finally got around to reading Puppy to Dog. Smiley is working on his Ls in his Speech class, so my book was a good one for L words for him to repeat.
Running out of egg nog. But streets are plowed and they de-snowed the car. Tomorrow shop?
Dec. 9th A big day for Smiley. Speech class taught him how to make the R sound for the first time. He also got to use the Flip recorder three times to record Mystery Land with hs dad, over an hour total. And Winter snow fun. And some new Pokèmon shows from the library.
I finally got to see Skyfall. Laid on the arm of the loveseat during Gallant's nap, beside the dad. No tele in this house, only laptops. Gotta love that Aston Marton. Of course Silva's cyberterrorism was nothing like that, but stories change for the big screen. The real connection between M16 and Tinsel Town is crucial yet too boring for a spy flick.
Temp got to 32, tiny amount of thaw. Snow falls from over-laden boughs like glitter. I went to the car to blast Appalachian Spring without the kids knowing.
If I have to watch "Shuffleword" again...
Dec. 10th Smiley did more sliding. I went down the fast hill by the track. On a launcher [jump at th bottom] too. And the slow hill by the street. Gallant wanted the slow hill. Then Mommy came. Gallant went home with Daddy. I could pick. I slid one more hour.
Smiley had dinner at Costco. The hot dog made my tummy feel funny. Then I ate pizza instead.
At home the water works. Gallant took a bath.
Louie was in bed. Smiley went to bed with Louie.
Smiley thought he left me in his bed all day. I had other plans. I'm a dog! Cute sweater vest. Barrel of something warming on my neck. Time to be social. Sorry, Safeway dogs. This is how it's done.
Ah, warm water again! I was beginning to feel like a cat.
Dec. 11th Smiley had pancaked for breakfast. Louie watched us make pancakes. We ground quinoa flour. That is noisy. I ate five and a banana and a cutie.
We made the train track a new track. Gallant wreecked it a little while I filmed Mystery Land with Daddy.
We made macaroni and cheese. Gallant held Louie. Then we put Louie on a basket. Gallant needed both hands to help.
We played outside. Our snowman is bendy.
We made egg baby. It looked like a volcano.
Smiley opened a late Chanukah present from Grandma. It is Zoobmobile Car Designer.
Louie and Smiley brushed teeth. Smiley went to bed with Louie.
Again I miss the fun. The cold and snow was from mad scentists in Portand. LRAPA war, trying to keep their rivals in Oakland from making wood-burning mechas. Enough "red days" and the Feds come in. Anyway... My buddies got to raid a lab and fight robots. I watch baking. Sigh.
Dec. 12th Smiley woke up and hugged Mommy goodbye. Mommy went to work. Smiley played with the new train track. Gallant had to go to his room because he was not listening. Smiley and Daddy built an airplane with the Zoobmobile toy. It was not very sturdy. Gallant came out of his room. Smiley and Gallant shared toys nicely.
Smiley ate egg baby. Then Smiley ate apple and pear. I played with toys more. Then I took a bath. After the bath I ate lunch. And Louie watched. I ate salmon quesadillas in the garage.
Then I watched Pokèmon while Daddy napped. It started to rain and Daddy cleaned the driveway and we got Mommy. I ate dinner with Louie watching me and now it is time for desert.
And we also did a puzzle today about the zoo.
Smiley and Louie brush teeth. Smiley goes to bed with Louie and Peter Rabbit.
La dee da. Up at midnight last night. Portland secure, but Beren's stones did those mad scientists make a mess of the software running NATO's weather control satellites. Eugene in beautiful. But GMT -8! Fraggle fewments! It took hours, but I borrowed a laptop and helped. Fun when Q owes a favor, heh. Slept like a dog for the rest.
Napped most of the day. Glad to see these boys do actually use art supplies. Coloring, and cutting felt scraps. But mostly trains and snow play out back. Played cards with the dad while he "napped". Won, of course.
Think anyone will notice it got warmer from 3pm to 10pm tonight? Nah.
Caught up on e-mail. New division requirement: sensitivity workshop. I got Boss Man to excuse me. What can a complainer say? I don't sympathize with their group identity? Woof woof. Oh, secret time. Next [Louie's writing ends—the next page is torn out]